Edinburgh South Cricket Club

Week seven report

A top-of-the-table clash between Rockets and Spirit could go a long way to deciding the league winners. Fire hoped to cause an upset by beating Rockets, and Originals and Superchargers were battling for third place.

Game one: Fire v Rockets

Rockets won the toss and elected to bowl. The Walker brothers were first up and hoped to continue their good form from previous weeks but had a disastrous start, with two run-outs in the first over, before recovering a bit in the second. The third and fourth overs saw four more wickets fall after sharp fielding and tight bowling, and the pair finished at 0/6. Shaman and Honor then had two great overs, adding 31 without loss, before Asanka and Kav struck in overs seven and eight, taking two wickets apiece, to leave the score 17/10 at halfway. Nab and Prab had a tough task to post a defendable score, but they were up to it: some incredible hitting from Nab saw him make a tournament all-time individual record 45, and with Prab they added a tournament all-time partnership record 59. The innings finished on 76/11.

Rockets started brightly, with Dharmesh and Phil B putting on 36 in the first three overs, before two late wickets in the fourth over saw the pair finish at 30/3. Rockets were ahead of the rate and looked set for a win. Kasun and Gus started steadily, adding 13 in their first two overs, before Prab and Shaman struck, taking three wickets, and the pair finished at 43/6. The game was in the balance as Asanka and Kav came in to bat. After ten overs, 20 were still required to win, and the game swung Fire’s way as only one run was added in over 11. Two further wickets fell in the final over, bowled by Nab, and Fire ran out winners by 25, as Rockets finished on 51/10.

Points: Fire 25, Rockets 9

Game two: Rockets v Spirit

Spirit won the toss and elected to bat. Matty and Mo started brightly, putting on 15 in the first two overs, including a six by Matty in the first, before losing a wicket in the third. They staged a recovery in the fourth and finished on 29/1. Nab and Eddy then built on that, with big hitting by Nab supported by clever batting from Eddy, and the pair put on 39 to reach 68/2. Ansh and Sabir came in and added another 28 with clever placement and quick running, and the innings finished on 96/3.

Rockets started well, with Dharmesh and Phil B putting on 23 after two overs, but a devastating third over from Ansh, taking a hat-trick, severely dented Rockets’ hopes. The pair made a slight recovery in their final over to finish at 17/3. Gus and Kasun had a good start, with 13 off their first over, but six wickets fell in the following three overs: good fielding and bowling meant the last three overs yielded -5 despite three sixes by Kasun. The pair finished on 25/9, leaving Asanka and Kav needing 72 to win, an impossible task. They made a valiant effort but could not get close; wickets fell regularly as the pair chased bonus batting points, and the innings finished on 23/13.

Points: Spirit 24, Rockets 5

Game three: Originals v Superchargers

Originals won the toss and elected to bowl. James and Rod batted steadily in the face of tricky bowling, and good running saw the pair finish on 19/2. Martin and Ramneek were in next; the bowling remained difficult to score from and they were tied down, losing three wickets to finish on 17/5. Rudi and Prab came in needing to set a decent target. Their first two overs saw only two added, despite a six from Rudi, as two wickets fell, but they recovered to add 17 in the last two overs to finish on 36/8.

Superchargers needed to start well in the field, and they did, with two wickets falling in the first three overs as Dan and Gordon B struggled to score. The pair finished on 10/2, and Superchargers sensed a win. Ankur and Hugo were in next, and Superchargers kept up the pressure with two more wickets from Prab and James; at halfway it was 14/3, behind the rate. The last over of the pair went for 13, including a six from Ankur, and they finished at 28/4. The pendulum had swung back in Originals’ favour as Praf and Ansh came in to bat. They played sensibly, taking quick singles and few risks, and added 32 for the loss of two wickets, and the innings ended at 60/6.

Points: Originals 22, Superchargers 6

League table

Batters of the week

• Nab 45
• Matty 29
• Praf 27

Bowlers of the week

• Ansh 4-6
• Ankur 3-22
• Hugo 2-12

Spirit had a crushing win over Rockets and are now overwhelming favourites to win the league, with a 7-2 record and a lead of 62 points over Rockets in second. Fire moved off the bottom of the table but have played a game more than the teams around them.

On to week eight. Originals play two against Spirit and Rockets; two wins would give them a slim chance of the title. Fire play Superchargers and will hope to continue their good form, while Superchargers aim to get back to winning ways.